Apparatus for making elastomeric sheet stock

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING DIMENSIONALLY STABLE SHEETING OF UNCURED ELASTOMERIC STOCK, COMPRISING AN EXTRUSION HEAD HAVING A MOVABLE PORTION DEFINING A DIE OPENING OF ADJUSTABLE CROSS-SECTIONAL HEIGHT, A DRUM JOURNALED FOR ROTATION ABOUT ITS AXIS AND MOUNTED WITH ITS OUTER PERIPHERAL FACE ADJACENT TO SAID DIE OPENING, A CURVED SHIELD POSITIONED ADJACENT AND SPACED UNIFORMLY FROM SAID DRUM AND EXTENDING OVER A PORTION OF THE PERIPHERY OF THE LATTER, SAID DRUM AND SHIELD DEFINING THEREBETWEEN A SHAPING CAVITY OF UNIFORM CROSS-SECTIONAL HEIGHT GREATER THAN THE CROSS-SECTIONAL WIDTH OF SAID DIE OPENING, THE INLET END OF SAID CAVITY BEING IN COMMUNICATION WITH SAID DIE OPENING, EXTRUDER MEANS FOR FORCING SAID STOCK THROUGH SAID DIE OPENING INTO SAID SHAPING CAVITY, SAID DIE OPENING BEING ORIENTED AT AN ANGLE BETWEEN ABOUT 30* AND ABOUT 70* TO THE DIRECTION OF MOVEMENT OF THE EXTRUDATE AS IT ENTERS SAID SHAPING CAVITY, MEANS FOR JOINTLY ADJUSTING THE POSITION OF SAID SHIELD RELATIVE TO SAID DRUM AND THE POSITION OF SAID MOVABLE PORTION OF SAID EXTRUSION HEAD DEFINING SAID DIE OPENING, THEREBY TO ADJUST SAID CROSS-SECTIONAL HEIGHTS OF SAID DIE OPENING AND SAID SHAPING CAVITY SO AS TO MAINTAIN A CONSTANT RELATIONSHIP THEREBETWEEN, AND BRAKING MEANS OPERATIVELY CONNECTED WITH SAID DRUM FOR CONTROLLING THE ROTATION THEREOF SO AS TO ENSURE THAT SAID DRUM EXERTS A RETARDING FORCE ON THE EXTRUDATE MOVING THROUGH SAID SHAPING CAVITY AND THEREBY EFFECTS A REORIENTATION OF THE EXTRUDATE TO ELIMINATE RESIDUAL INTERNAL STRESSES THEREFROM.